Brookfield ethics board looking into two more complaints

BROOKFIELD -- After a brief closed-door session Monday morning, the Board of Ethics took no action on two complaints filed earlier this month and instead opted to investigate matters further.

The board is scheduled to meet again Aug. 4 to decide whether probable cause exists for hearings on either issue. The nature of the complaints has not been made public.

But the ethics board heard a request by Board of Finance member Ernie Nepomuceno to better explain to the public its role and how it determines whether someone has committed an ethics violation.

Ethics board member Jim Sullivan proposed the board consider preparing a Frequently Asked Questions summary to answer commonly asked questions, and explain the process and procedures under which the board operates.

In past years, the board's role has gone virtually unnoticed. Since last November's election, however, the ethics board has been kept extremely busy as a number of people have relied on the board to evaluate behaviors of officials they have deemed questionable for a particular position.

Of the 17 complaints the ethics board has investigated, only one against a newly elected Board of Education member, Greg Beck, prompted a formal hearing, and that was dismissed because he opted to resign. The complaint against Beck, a town dispatcher, elected as a minority party member for the first time in November, stemmed from what were deemed to be inappropriate Facebook remarks regarding his response to the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

The Board of Finance filed an ethics complaint against former First Selectman Bill Davidson regarding his handling of state grant funds earmarked for the Four Corners district. No probable cause was found to pursue that complaint.

The ethics board did not disclose the complaint, but a Freedom of Information complaint filed by Davidson against the Board of Finance referenced it.

The three-member ethics board has said its powers are limited to ethical conduct explained by the town charter and state law. An official may act inappropriately, but that does not necessarily mean it constitutes an ethical violation.

The ethics board, whose members are appointed, is advisory. It makes recommendations based on the investigation of complaints to the Board of Selectmen for action.

By state law, the ethics board has no authority to remove an elected official from office; it can, however, recommend the termination of a town employee or the resignation of an appointed official.

Chairman Alice Carolan said she likes the idea of listing commonly asked questions, and asked fellow members to forward to her ideas that could then be drafted into a document for the town website.